Self-Titled Summer | Bad Brains (1982, US)

Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 540 on The List, submitted by myself (buffyleigh). First formed in 1976 in Washington D.C. as a jazz fusion band called Mind Power, by the time this, their debut studio album, was released, Bad Brains had changed their name, their sound, and home, and were an important part of the NYC hardcore scene.

Want to read more? See the full spotlight on the Fediverse at @1001otheralbums.com or on the blog: https://1001otheralbums.com/2025/06/24/self-titled-summer-bad-brains-1982-us/

Want to skip straight to the music? Here's a Songlink: https://album.link/ca/i/1291910244

Happy listening!

#BadBrains #HardcorePunk #hardcore #punk #ReggaeFusion #reggae #Rastafari #1980s #selftitled #music #1001OtherAlbums

Self-Titled Summer | Bad Brains (1982, US)

Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 540 on The List, submitted by myself (buffyleigh). Here’s a quick rundown:

• Point(s) of origin: This group first formed in 1976 in Washington D.C. as a jazz fusion band called Mind Power, with Dr. Know on lead guitar, Darryl Jenifer on bass, Paul Hudson aka H.R. on rhythm guitar, H.R.’s brother Earl on drums, and Sid McCray as the singer. When the band members got into punk rock, they switched both their sound and their name, referencing the Ramones’ song, “Bad Brain“. The band then incorporated reggae sounds into their new hardcore punk direction after seeing Bob Marley live, McCray left, and H.R. became the singer. By 1979/80, the band was banned from the major local clubs, and so, around 1980/81, they relocated to NYC. By the time this, their debut studio album, was released (on cassette only, hence also referred to as The Yellow Tape), the band was an important part of the NYC hardcore scene, and regularly played CBGB.
• Tasting notes: Hardcore punk, reggae fusion, Rastafari dub
• Standout track: “Banned in D.C.”, which is about them being banned in D.C., and the band’s debut single “Pay to Cum“, originally released in 1980.
• Where are they now?: Many of the tracks from this debut were re-recorded for their following LP, Rock for Light (1983). Bad Brains would then break up for the first time, and then would reform (and break up, and reform…) and go on to release seven more studio albums (the last one, Into the Future, in 2012), incorporating more styles into their sound including funk, soul, and heavy metal. The band has changed their line-up many times (particularly swapping out the Hudson brothers), but they are currently listed as still being active and with the same line-up as the debut s/t.
• Websites: Band website, Wikipedia

Happy listening!

• Songlink: Bad Brains – Bad Brains
• Discogs: Bad Brains – Bad Brains

#1980s #BadBrains #hardcore #hardcorePunk #music #musicDiscovery #punk #Rastafari #reggae #reggaeFusion #selftitled

A "Funky Music" party on Jukebox Friday Night, and I'm going to risk what a lot people think of as a punk-reggae band with bad politics. But, these guys influenced a lot of the funk-rock sounds that came later.

Bad Brains, "She's Calling You" (1986)

From "I Against I", when the band moved from a punk-rock style to a lo-fi mash-up of reggae, funk, soul, and heavy metal.

You'll need Max Volume to get over the poor recording values.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFHcZXtNHd4

#JukeboxFridayNight #FunkyMusic #BadBrains #FunkRock #FunkMetal

June 1980 saw the release of the Bad Brains' debut single, which changed the face of hardcore punk forever.

"Realising that they couldn’t rely on a record company to back them, [they] released their first single, the explosive Pay To Cum, DIY-style."

Dr. Know: "We pressed it, licked ’em, sticked ’em.
There were no labels signing this, it wasn’t like that."

01. Pay To Cum

#BadBrains #HardcorePunk

Released 45 years ago
'Pay To Cum' the debut single by the Bad Brains

Bad Brains - Pay To Cum (Live at CBGB's 1979)

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #paytocum #cbgb #history #punkrockhistory

45 years ago
"Pay to Cum!" is the debut single by Washington DC based hardcore punk band Bad Brains, released June 1980 with "Stay Close to Me" as B-side

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #paytocum #history #punkrockhistory

I haven’t seen this absolute fucking BANGER mentioned for #londoncalling yet.
Legends. And a big reason why I never abandoned the punk scene as a person of color 🖤💚❤️💛

Bad Brains - Banned In D.C.

#BadBrains #punk #PunkIsBlack

https://youtu.be/Rei-xeD6ZsQ?si=AFvSF8cYjezpaSK6

38 years ago
Dr Know and Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains at Lancaster Gate Hotel, London, May 1987.

Photo by David Corio

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #history #punkrockhistory

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BLABBERMOUTHT

P.O.D. Guitarist MARCOS CURIEL: 'A Lot Of People That Listen To Metal Or Rock Have Tunnel Vision'

https://blabbermouth.net/news/p-o-d-guitarist-marcos-curiel-a-lot-of-people-that-listen-to-metal-or-rock-have-tunnel-vision

#POD #MarcosCuriel #RockBrothersPodcast #Metal #Rock #Veritas #AtlanticRecords #BadBrains #LambOfGod #Godsmack

P.O.D.’s Satellite dropped on 9/11. It had a song called Alive that sounded like a prayer and Youth of the Nation that sounded like a warning.

Over 20 years later, #SonnySandoval tells me what it was like to write two blocks from a school shooting, why hope was their accidental superpower, and how HR from #BadBrains showed up to the studio with two parakeets.

https://www.lpm.org/music/2021-11-22/p-o-d-s-sonny-sandoval-were-a-band-of-love-and-hope

#Music

43 years ago today
What a crazy show that must have been 🙂

Bad Brains
Minor Threat
Double-O
Irving Plaza, NYC, May 15, 1982

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #minorthreat #history #punkrockhistory

Released42 years ago today
Bad Brains' second album, "Rock for Light," featuring the thrilling song "Big Takeover."

"Big Takeover" (Live) - Bad Brains - New York, CBGB - December 25, 1982

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #rockforlight #history #punkrockhistory #otd

42 years ago today
'Rock for Light' is the second full-length album by The Bad Brains, produced by The Cars' Ric Ocasek and released on this day in 1983

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #rockforlight #history #punkrockhistory #otd

43 years ago today
Henry Rollins joined Bad Brains on stage for the finale, "Pay to Cum"

Ukrainian Cultural Center on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, March 12, 1982

Photo by Ann Summa

#punk #punkrock #hardcorepunk #hardcore #badbrains #history #punkrockhistory #otd

43 years ago
The Bad Brains at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, March 12, 1982.

Photo by Alison Braun

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #history #punkrockhistory

41. Scopdom Scop - Shock Treatment's Too Much For Me (some time in the early 80s)
42. Bad Brains - Black Dots (1979)
43. the Raincoats - In Love (1979)
44 & 45. the 4th International - 頭腦劣勸者/Money Shock (1983)

A related transmission, after a one day intermission: all of this is fucking stupid. It's about time you got hip to that.

#FunADay2025 #Day25 #ScopdomScop #BadBrains #TheRaincoats #The4thInternational #HardcorePunk #Punk

Africa: Blackness in Punk Rock Beyond the Bad Brains: [Afropop] What sort of imagery does the word punk inspire? Spiky, colorful hair, studs and anarchy signs; hordes of people crammed into mosh pits, jumping and pushing their sweaty selves against each other in dimly lit spaces. However, it might seem unusual to picture a group like the Bad Brains, to this day regarded among undisputed pioneers of hardcore punk. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TJ5mtG #PunkRock #BlackHistory #BadBrains #HardcorePunk #Afropunk

·· azkenak airean - last broadcast ··

lost legion
bad brains
total chaos
ignoranti

Entzun / Listen (streaming):
https://punkirratia.net:8443/punk

#lostlegion #badbrains #totalchaos #ignoranti #FediRadio #punk #streaming #NowPlaying #music #musica #musique #musika #MastoRadio

Santa Cruz hardcore band Scowl pick tracks by Gorilla Biscuits, Ceremony, Bad Brains and more for an NME playlist

https://www.nme.com/news/music/scowl-the-cover-playlist-3836401

#music #punk #PunkRock #HardcorePunk #PunkHardcore #Scowl #GorillaBiscuits #Ceremony #BadBrains

#BlackHistoryMonth at #WMPG

Posted February 2, 2023 by Annella Linton

"Our University of Southern Maine (USM) students and DJ’s are honoring Black History Month at WMPG. This year’s theme is #BlackResistance. You will hear specially curated playlists from DJ’s. Our students are producing audio which will highlight achievements and contributions, including #PreColonial history plus profiles of contemporary figures recognizing people from politics, education, pop culture, sports and other areas. Featuring stories about #ATribeCalledQuest, #Beyonce, #OtisRedding, #JamesBaldwin, #ToniMorrison, #BadBrains, and #RobertLewis."

Link to embedded audio:
https://www.wmpg.org/black-history-month-at-wmpg/
#BlackHistory #BlackMusicians #BlackHistoricalFigures #WMPGFM #CommunityRadio